Eric Adams declares his support for the rollback of New York's sanctuary city laws

New York City Democrat Eric Adams on Tuesday voiced his support for bipartisan legislation that would reverse a slate of “sanctuary city” laws currently on the books, marking a major shift in a city that has long 'has opposed cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Speaking Tuesday, Adams declared his support for an anti-sanctuary bill proposed by members of the Common Sense Caucus, a group of New York City Council members made up of both Democrats and Republicans. in accordance with the Staten Island Advance. If approved and passed, the bill would loosen laws enacted by former Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio that largely prohibit New York City police officers from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“I think the previous administration made a big mistake,” Adams said, referring to De Blasio. “I think we need to correct that aspect.”

“New Yorkers have a right to be safe in their city. Just as anyone breaks the law or does something violent to New Yorkers, I'm going to express my concern about that,” Adams continued.

de Blasio in 2014 signed into law a bill that notably prohibits the New York Police Department from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, and in 2018 it enacted legislation which doubled this policy. The Common Sense Caucus bill specifically aims to undo these laws.

Laws enacted under de Blasio prevent New York City law enforcement officials from complying with ICE detainer requests, which are requests that ask them to keep a person in their custody for longer for an ICE agent to arrive and make an arrest. The result was a substantial drop in ICE detainer requests, according to a Staten Island Advance review.

New York City has long been considered a “sanctuary city” by local leaders and immigration experts, although the term technically has no official definition. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg was the first to enact sanctuary city policies in the Big Apple during his tenure in the early 2000s.

However, as record numbers of illegal immigrants have chosen to seek refuge in the Apple Bill, causing a financial strain on taxpayers and leading to several high-profile crime incidents, Adams and other city leaders have become more open to cooperating with ICE agents.

More than 200,000 migrants have overwhelmed New York City since 2022, in accordance with local reports The influx of migrants forced Adams declare Budget cuts of 5% in September for government programs and services to pay for their housing and other services, and in August it declared the city was reaching a “breaking point” due to the large volume of immigrants.

New York City's sanctuary status once again entered the spotlight was confirmed that Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, a 19-year-old Venezuelan accused of shooting two New York City Police Department officers during a foot chase last month, entered the country illegally.

Amid the backlash against immigration policy, members of the Common Sense Caucus decided last month to introduce their bill.

“We have enough criminals in this city; we don't need to import more and protect them as well,” Council member Robert Holden, a Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill, said at the time. “Repealing the laws that have created sanctuary city status is common sense.”

Despite the mayor's show of support, it remains unclear how the bill will fare in a city council dominated by the Liberal Democrats. However, the project sponsor says Adams has the means to clear the hurdles.

“It's encouraging to hear the mayor's support for our effort to repeal the sanctuary city laws,” Holden told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Despite a combative City Council, he can make it happen by advocating that the Charter Review Commission put this proposal on this year's ballot for the people to decide.”

“New Yorkers will make the right decision – let's do it!” added.

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